Philadelphia, PA - August 22, 2006 - PBS KIDS Sprout, the first
and only 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand
and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, is
celebrating its first birthday this September with a month-long
birthday bash filled with surprises, three new programs and two
world television premieres.
In less than one year, Sprout has not only expanded its
distribution to almost 20 million households, but it has been
recognized for excellence in programming and marketing with five
Telly Awards, seven Promax/BDA Awards and two Mark Awards.
Additionally, Sprout's most recent Q Score (measuring familiarity
and appeal) outranked all other kids' networks and topped both
Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny among moms of kids ages 2-5.
Sprout is the #1 Kids On Demand service with over 100 million VOD
orders since Sprout On Demand launched in April
2005.
Birthday Bash
Movie Premieres & Other Surprises
All month long, beloved Sprout friends like Bob The Builder?,
Barney?, Big Bird, Noddy?, Caillou? and Angelina Ballerina? will
deliver special on-air birthday greetings throughout the day.
From Thursday, September 21 through Tuesday, September 26, Birthday
Host Kevin will present a daily three-hour block from 3-6 p.m. ET
that features Sprout's own Mr. Mailman delivering presents to
children who unwrap them to reveal the next birthday-themed
show. The biggest presents will be the world television
premieres of Angelina's Princess Dance on Thursday, September 21 at
5:00 p.m. ET and Bob the Builder's first musical special, Bob the
Builder: Built to be Wild on Tuesday, September 26 at 5:00 p.m.
ET.
The Birthday Show
Although Sprout's actual birthday is on Tuesday, September 26, the
on-air party begins much earlier. The Birthday Show premieres
on Monday, September 11. Hosted by Sprout's own Kevin, this
new and expanded Sprout favorite will be enhanced with fun-filled
birthday party ideas for kids and parents, including games, crafts,
and party planning tips in addition to expanded daily readings of
homemade birthday cards submitted by viewers and the Sprout
birthday song. Replacing Sprout's original daily "birthday
segments," The Birthday Show will continue beyond the month of
September airing throughout the day as part of Sprout's regular
programming.
New Sprout Season…New Shows
Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks?
Kicking off Sprout's new fall schedule on Sunday, September 10 is
the debut of the six-time Emmy Award-winning Jakers! The Adventures
of Piggley Winks. The new animated series launches with a
special three-hour Grand "Tails" Day block hosted by Grandpa
Piggley Winks in honor of National Grandparents Day.
Featuring six back-to-back episodes of Jakers!, this special block
will begin at noon ET and repeat again at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Moving forward, Jakers! will air every day on Sprout at 4:00 p.m.
ET.
Jakers! follows the adventures of Piggley Winks and his friends
Dannan the duck and Ferny the bull on Raloo Farm in the rural Irish
village of Tara in the 1950s. It draws upon the rich heritage
of storytelling and intergenerational communication to invite
children into an imaginative, diverse world and engage young
viewers in adventures that teach important life lessons.
Viewers are encouraged to log onto www.sproutletsgrow.com/grandtails (launching
8/28) for ways to celebrate Grandparents Day with Jakers! and
Sprout.
The Good Night Show
Beginning the following evening at 6:00 p.m. ET, Noel MacNeal, an
Emmy-nominated, 20-year veteran of children's television, will join
The Good Night Show as Leo, the series' special guest host.
Helping parents wind down their kids after a busy day, Leo will
play games, sing songs and create bedtime stories with Star, the
lovable and lively star-shaped puppet. New to The Good Night
Show will be Lucy, an enchanting puppet firefly, who will help
introduce episodes of Sprout favorites such as Dragon Tales™,
Angelina Ballerina™ and Bob The Builder™. Best known for his role
as Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House™ and Breakfast With Bear™,
and as a long-time performer on Sesame Street®, as well as Blue's
Room™ and Oobi™, MacNeal will act as special guest host Leo while
Sprout continues its multi-city search for the new host of The Good
Night Show, which will tape its third season later this fall.
Sprout Diner
The following week, opening its doors on Monday, September 18, will
be Sprout Diner, a new Sprout original short-form program designed
to encourage preschool children to eat healthy foods and to inspire
parents and caregivers with healthy eating ideas. Each
animated episode features its own nutritious and fun recipe
inspired by popular preschool characters like Barney, Elmo, the
Teletubbies, Noddy, Sagwa, Caillou and the Berenstain
Bears. Sprout Diner owner Brussel Sprout, his daughter
Bean and her daughter Alfalfa create healthy, nutritious dishes for
each character that calls in to order after a hard day's
play.
Children and their parents are encouraged to visit www.sproutletsgrow.com to
download the recipes so they can make them together at home.
KidsHealth.org, a national non-profit children's health
organization and the web's most visited children's health site,
acted as nutritional consultants for the recipes which include
yummy, healthy treats like Bob's Berry Delicious Shake, Elmo's
Funny Face Pizza Pies and Barney's Purple Hummus
Dip.
About Sprout
PBS KIDS SproutSM, the first and only 24-hour preschool
destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5
and their parents and caregivers, was created as a partnership
among Comcast Corporation, the country's leading provider of cable,
entertainment and communications products and services; HIT
Entertainment, a leading provider of quality entertainment for
young children; PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), the most trusted
distributor of award-winning children's programming; and Sesame
Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame
Street.
Since debuting its video on demand (VOD) service in April 2005,
PBS KIDS Sprout has become the #1 Kids On Demand service,
generating over 100 million orders since launch. The 24-hour
digital channel, which launched in September 2005 along with the
website (www.sproutletsgrow.com),
is available on digital cable and satellite to almost 20 million
committed subscribers. The network's program lineup of
gold-standard, curriculum-based children's shows includes:
Sesame Street®, Bob the Builder™, Barney & Friends™, Thomas
& Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™, Sagwa: The Chinese Siamese
Cat™, Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Jay Jay the Jet
Plane™, Teletubbies™, Dragon Tales™, Pingu™, Make Way For Noddy™,
Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks? and more.
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CONTACT:
Jenni Glenn
PBS KIDS Sprout
215-667-2703
jenni_glenn@sproutletsgrow.com